Beer: Ratings & Reviews

330ml bottle purchased from Slowbeer in Melbourne. The label is more colourful than most Moon Dog beers, and has a certain flair about it which I quite like. And no by "flair" I don't mean "boobs".

Pours a deep dark brown, with a solidly dark head of mocha. It forms a decent filmy persistence, although it started off being quite foamy and frothy. Lacing forms in sea-foam streaks, but doesn't stick around a great deal. Body is surprisingly, and perhaps disappointingly light. Otherwise, it looks pretty good.

Nose is roasty and dark, with some sweetness, and a faint hint of funk or acidity. I want to think that the sourness is imagined, but I'm not sure it is. Milk chocolate comes through though to fulfill its name, but that faint lacto acidity perhaps takes the milk in directions it wasn't meant to go.

Taste is better, but here it's harmed by the lightness perceived in the appearance. Mild roast and sweet chocolate seems at the mercy of a faintness and a slight carbonic thinness. Certainly a suggestion of acidity on the back of the palate, if not a direct puckering bite. For a 7.4% ABV beer, it's certainly very light in the feel as well, perhaps another suggestion of sourness.

So yeah, I'm guessing this wasn't meant to be sour. And while it's not immediately, intensely, puckeringly sour, it has this sourness overlain on everything which makes it hard to appreciate the sweetness the lactose supposedly adds. And if it was meant to be sour, then the additional sweetness just undermines everything the sourness is meant to be doing. No, I'm afraid it doesn't work for me.

Pours black with a large, dark tan head.Nose shows loads of roasted malt with honey showing underneath. Coffee and smoky notes are noticeable, and later some very soft cocoa.Heavy roasted malt as a flavour too, before the lactose rolls through providing a fair bit of sweetness. Seems a bit disjointed, with the sudden change from bitter, harsh roasted malt to honey sweetness.Carbonation is a bit excessive.Nice but by the time I'd finished the glass it was getting pretty cloying.

These guys are definately one of my favourite Aussie Brewers always pushing the envelope and take things to the extreme in brewing which i really rate also i love their artwork and always buy something they release and the brew pours the darkest kola brown which lets no light through with a mocha laced two finger creamy head and similar lacing everywhere and its a looker by all means,the smell is honey caramel,coffee,dark chocolate and a touch of Belgian funk,the mouthfeel is full bodied and creamy with tastes of creamy cappicino,honey,brown sugar,milk chocolate,toasted malts and finished quite sweet with hints of mocha and milk chocolate,overall even though im in the start of a cold this brew really hits the spot and be great for a pairing with dessert will buy again without doubt cheers.

Appearance: intense black in colour with heavy brown highlights. A two-finger tan head pops up and settles to a solid half-finger. Decent retention and lacing.

Aroma: the nose has some roasted malts, that touch of honey underneath and a touch of ripe fruits. Not overwhelming, but not bad.

Taste: again with the roasted and sweet malts, and some chocolate and yeast. Quite nice, but not mind-blowing. Was expecting more - the flavour is too muted.

Aftertaste: not much here either. The flavours leave the palate almost immediately.

Mouthfeel: semi-solid with a subtle silkiness. Not sure about the carbonation though - I know it's a stout, but I still think it could have used a bit more to carry the flavours a touch better.

Overall: a good milk stout - subtly sweet with a good, traditional roast-malt stout base. I just wish it was a bit more powerful in flavour, and I'm not entirely certain it is worth AU$7 a bottle (2013); can get better for less. A good spectacle none-the-less, for the package as well as the variety.

Dark appearance with a touch of brown on the edges. Tan foam on top that has a nice creamy look about it. Spotty lacing. Good looking beer.

Smells a little like light peat at the start and then gets into coffee and dark chocolate plus honey and Belgian esters. Interesting, if a little odd, certainly not run of the mill milk stout, that's for sure. Though run of the mill doesnt describe Moon Dog out here.

Tastes of bush honey, condensed milk and belgian chocolate plus light coffee. Again, different, but not offensive, nor world beating, pleasant to drink. No sign of the high ABV for the style.

Nice soft, silky mouthfeel, some tart sweetness from the honey livens it up as well. A little chocolate bitterness also adds to it.

Interesting take on a Milk Stout from guys that don't play by the book. Their stuff is always worth trying, like it or not.